Crystal River current. [volume] (Crystal, Colo.) 1886-18??, 1887-07-23
FUNERAL IN A TENEMENT
The transformations Service Ovcr
the DEATH OF n Baby.

white ribbon to the front dOol- knob OF
the big tenement where she lived. 1t
was in Rose street just around the
corner.
The ribbon was limp and old, and
hung in lifeless way against the worn
panels of the door. She stepped back
to note the effect and another girl about
the same age came out from door IN
the lower hallway and joined her. The
two little ones were the only signs of
life about the great building that
looked black and forbidding with its
range of. grated fire-escapes giving it
the air of barred prison. The second
conner stared at the first girl with bold
eyes for moment and said, pointing
| to the Tutoring ribbons:
what did you do that forp"
''Baby is dead"
ado you live in this housep"
Eyes; OIL the fourth floor
'Huh," with sniff of contempt.
I'VE live on the first floor and we've
got baby carriage.'' Then in a more
conciliatory way: May come up and
| sec it?'
Il gness so," and the two children.
| TO the little room fronting on the
street, where the mother and the wo-
man of the next room were preparing
| the child for burial.
| 1t was a bloodless little thing, the
piece of clay the women fondled in that
| lingering way they have with those
| they love. The mother seemed Jealous
of the attention her friend showed the
child. She wanted to attend to the
| last rites herself. She could not bear
to have other hands to touch tho little
| thing. No other hands but hers should
smooth the pillow for its last sleep.
| There was no wild outburst of weeping
| on her part, and beyond certain
| querulousness. no demonstration of
| affection. The mother did not even
| cry She was too used to suffering for
| that. She talked reminiscentlv of the
| bundle of white ON the bed. She
| told how she never expected to raise it;
, that it had always been thin and sicklv;
that it was the best child in spite of ali
| that the world had ever seen; that she
knew it could never stand the warm
weather and a thousand little details
that only q mother could remember
| she would begin again and go over its
VI
| to tell of.
The other woman was sympathetic
and receptive, petting the mother and
calling her '.Dearie" and MY dar-
| lin" aud fitting about the room put
| ting things to rights with an air OF pro-
\ prIetorship that would have been hot
| ly resented Mt any other time. The
| two neighbors living SO close together
had been great enemies and had fought
royalty over the petty privileges of the
fourth floor hallway. But all that was
forgotten and laid aside now.
Pretty soon young man with q
| weeks growth of beard and n furred
silk hat came i'll softly without knock
ing at the door. He said he was tho
| undertaken. Nobody knew how he had
| found out about the death. He had a book
| with pictures of collins in it. He step
ped on tiptoe across the room and ask
ed in Il subdued voice whether to-mor-
row morning would suit for the funer-
al. Then he said for $l4 one could get
n beautiful casket. He alwaes called
| his collins caskets. The neighbor took
him aside and conferred with him. f.
| nally getting the Sl4 casket for 81.
| Then he went away, after leaving re-
cept for the So cash that had been
| paid on installment.
The mother took the cold form of her
child in her arms and rocked it as she
| had done so often in life. 1t had
long, white gown. with a BIT of lace
down the front. She took wisp of
pink ribbon and fastened it at the
| baby's throat. The neighbors protest.
ed that she must not do that; it would
| never do. But the mother persisted
and the bit of bright color remained.
The husband came home from work
at the usual hour and did not grumble
at the cold supper that was spread for
him. He kissed his wife in way that
| he had not done since they were mar
| ried. They were Il loving couple, full
| of the truest affection for each other,
but the affection did not often find out
ward expression. He sat with his wife
| for half an hour and then feeling HIM
| self in the way went down and joined
the group on the stoop. She did not
care to leave the room.
| He was working on q particularly ur-
gent job and went Off with his tools as
| usual the next morning. He kissed
the mother of the little one again be-
| fore he left. The woman across the
hall came in early and put things to
rights. Then she disappeared for
| little space and returned, dressed in a
| newer gown of black. She brought
bunch of ox-eyed daisies with her and
put them in the baby's hands. The
little girl who had tied the white rib
bon that served as Grape to the front
door knob, came up wonderingly and
| felt OF the flowers. Then she took ono
for herself. The neighbor and the UNI
dertaker arranged the casket. the wo-
man quietly slipped the bit of pink
ribbon from the shroud. But the quick
eyes of the mother saw it and would
not have the child deprived of the bit
of color. 1t had always loved the
bright string she pleaded. So the pink
knot rested there.
"A young minister came-he was
hardly more than boy-and read
chapter from the Bible and said few